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The violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville reflects the dangerous, open-the-floodgates culture that having a Bully-in-Chief in the White House has created in America.
Hundreds of protesters descended upon Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 12, 2017 for a “Unite the Right” rally.
The rally was dispersed by police minutes after its scheduled start at noon, after clashes between rallygoers and counter-protesters, and after a torchlit pre-rally march Friday night descended into violence.
But later that day, as rallygoers began a march and counterprotests continued, a reported Nazi sympathizer drove a car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing one and injuring 19.
Self-described “pro-white” activist Jason Kessler organized the rally to protest the planned removal of a statue of confederate general Robert E. Lee from a park in Charlottesville.
Kessler is affiliated with the alt-right movement that uses internet trolling tactics to argue against diversity and “identity po…

The execution of the 1st convict may not happen in the next 4 to 5 years under the term of President Rodrigo Duterte even if the death penalty bill is passed by Congress and becomes law, Majority Leader Rodolfo Farinas said.

"Even with the reimposition of the death penalty you cannot expect an execution in the next 4 or 5 years," he said in an interview, adding that it would take time to go through the processes of the courts before the final conviction is handed.

"It would already take take long time at the investigation stage, then this would go to the prosecutor and would be filed before the judge. There would still be a trial and an appeal," he added.

Asked if this meant that there would be no execution under the Duterte administration, Farinas said, "It's possible, because the President has about 5 years and 4 months left, so just think how long the gestation period of a death penalty case is. It will really take time."

Farinas also stressed that the law does not have a retroactive effect on offenses committed before its passage.

Debates on House Bill No. 4727 would resume on Tuesday but the House leader warned that it could be terminated if those opposed to the measure would continue to question the quorum.

After the termination of the debates, there will be a period of amendments, in which the lawmakers can introduce their proposed changes. Voting on 2nd reading is tentatively scheduled on February 28.

From 21 heinous crimes, the list was down to four punishable by the death penalty, as agreed upon by the members of the majority bloc during an earlier caucus - plunder, drug-related crimes, treason and rape.

Farinas earlier said that rape was no longer included, but clarified that it would now be punishable by death penalty.

The mode of execution would be lethal injection, firing squad, and hanging. It would be up to the judge to determine the mode of execution, Farinas said.

He said House members would also introduce several safeguards in the bill such as requiring the Public Attorneys' Office and the Office of the Solicitor General to assign senior lawyers to death penalty cases.

Farinas said a provision to be added would also require the fiscal to furnish the files and information of the case to religious and civic organizations, human rights groups, Integrated Bar of the Philippines, and the Free Legal Assistance Group to assist the accused.

Source: interaksyon.com, February 20, 2017

'Death penalty revival efforts in House useless'

Critics on Wednesday said efforts at the House of Representatives to revive the death penalty may become futile if the Senate won't act on its counterpart measure.

While the supermajority at the lower chamber is perceived to be backing the bill, the Senate seems to be divided on the proposed measure.

Buhay Party List Rep. Lito Atienza also called on the majority not to railroad the bill by skipping the debates. "Why are you rushing it?" Atienza said. "There are about 20 members still wanting to participate and interpellate. Why would you now deprive these 20 members to be satisfied with the exchanges in the interpellation?"

Atienza believes the absence of a quorum is proof that a majority of the lawmakers at the lower chamber actually reject the bill.

"That's one way of looking at it but I think the main reason there is no quorum is the lack of interest on the part of the general membership, especially the majority," he said.

House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez, meanwhile, admitted that the death penalty bill will face rough sailing in the Senate.

PH TO LOSE TRADE BENEFITS

Separately, Akbayan party-list Rep. Tom Villarin in a statement said that the Philippines risks losing over $12 billion in trade benefits and over 200,000 jobs if it reimposes the death penalty.

Villarin said if the Philippines revives the death penalty, it will lose zero tariffs privilege for its exports to European Union countries.

"Why will we let go of such gains when the perceived benefits of reimposing the death penalty are non-existent?" he said.

The Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP+) allows the Philippines to export to the EU without duties or with reduced tariffs.

The GSP+ is based on ratification and compliance with international conventions on human rights, labor rights, environment and good governance.

The Philippines was given preferential status under the European Union-GSP+ in December 2014, allowing the duty-free export of about 6,274 Philippine products exported to EU countries.

"It will only worsen the peace and order situation in Mindanao, which will be greatly affected by such policy. Death penalty will kill industries, jobs, and livelihoods of the poorest people in our country--a tragic irony of unfathomed proportions," Villarin said.

The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that in 2014, the year the Philippines signed the GSP+ trade agreement, tariff-free exports amounted to $6.73 billion.

It rose to $7.17 billion in 2015 and will eventually cover the total trade to EU which comprises around 12% of our country's exports.

EXPAND PUBLIC ATTORNEY'S OFFICE

CIBAC party-list Rep. Sherwin Tugna, meanwhile, proposed the expansion of the Public Attorney's Office in case the death penalty bill is approved.

"We would like to make sure that those who are accused who are poor will not be prejudiced. Free legal assistance should be extended to those who belong to those who are poor," the party-list group said.

The party-list group said PAO needs more budget to address the need for more lawyers, especially those who will assist the underprivileged allegedly involved in heinous crimes punishable by death penalty.

CIBAC Party-List calls for the creation of a special division in PAO which will handle cases of poor defendants who may be penalized with death penalty.

"It is of prime importance that the state guarantees that nobody gets wrongfully convicted due to failure to obtain adequate legal aid," the group said.

Source: abs-cbn.com, February 21, 2017

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Waves of executions are part of Indonesian President Joko Widodo's hard line on drug convicts. Australians best remember those of Bali Nine leaders Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, shot by firing squad in 2015 despite all efforts to save them. With more than 200 people on death row, why do anti-death penalty activists now see a ray of hope?
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WEST PALM BEACH -- In a ruling that could prevent as many as 100 condemned inmates from seeking life sentences, the Florida Supreme Court this week rejected arguments that constitutional flaws with the state’s death penalty should benefit all 362 inmates on death row.
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The terrorist group known as ISIS has released pictures of a man being thrown off a roof in Syria.
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France condemns the execution in Iran, on August 10, of Alireza Tajiki, a minor at the time of the events and at the time of his sentencing, and expresses its concerns about reports of the imminent execution of Mehdi Bohlouli, also sentenced to death when he was a juvenile.
This execution is contrary to the international commitments that Iran itself has signed on to, particularly the international Convention on the Rights of the Child.
It is also a step backward with respect to the positive developments we have seen on human rights in Iran, most notably the Iranian Parliament’s adoption of a law on August 13 limiting the scope of the death penalty.
France reiterates its unwavering opposition to the death penalty throughout the world and in all circumstances.
It encourages Iran to continue its efforts and to establish a moratorium with a view to its abolition. Source: France Diplomatie, August 16, 2017

Rejecting international norms, Iran speeds the execution of minor offenders
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A prisoner was reportedly hanged at Shirvan Prison on murder charges. 2 prisoners were reportedly hanged at Zanjan Central Prison on drug related charges.
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The amendment will apply retroactively, thus commuting the sentences for many of the 5,300 inmates currently on death row for drug trafficking. Under the new bill, the punishment for those already convicted and given the death penalty or life in prison, other than those meeting the new execution requirements, will be commuted to up to 30 years in jail and a cash fine.
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The bill must still be approved by the conservative-dominated Guardian Council but gained parliamentary approval after months of debate, according to parliament’s website and the ISNA news agency.
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I oppose the death penalty in all cases, unconditionally, regardless of the method chosen to kill the condemned prisoner.
The death penalty is inherently cruel and degrading, an archaic punishment that is incompatible with human dignity.
To end the death penalty is to abandon a destructive diversionary and divisive public policy that is not consistent with widely held values.
The death penalty not only runs the risk of irrevocable error, it is also costly to the public purse as well as in social and psychological terms.
The death penalty has not been proved to have a special deterrent effect.
It tends to be applied in a discriminatory way on grounds of race and class.
It denies the possibility of reconciliation and rehabilitation.
It prolongs the suffering of the murder victim's family and extends that suffering to the loved ones of the condemned prisoner.
It diverts resources that could be better used to work against violent crime and assist those affected by it.
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